A Must-Know Fact about
Hair Transplantation

Before considering a hair transplant, it is very important that you understand what hair transplantation really is as well as its benefits and limitations.

Hair transplantation technique does not increase your hair volume; instead it moves hair from one area to another. The procedure involves both medical and artistic principles with the goal to achieve final density. It requires the hair transplant surgeon to redistribute your limited supply of hair follicles from the donor area on the sides and back of the head to the bald area to create natural-looking hair for years to come.

Because pattern baldness is a progressive condition, hair loss will continue as you age. The extent of hair loss is unpredictable and unknown; it is also different from person to person. As you lose hair, the size of the balding area increases while the donor area with hair decreases.

Due to the limitation of your donor hair supply and the progression of your hair loss, only finite amount of hair can be removed. Each time the donor hair is removed, the density of the remaining hair decreases. Scientists are looking for a way to transplant hair using hair follicles from different persons, with the hope that they will find the successful solution some day. Until then, your doctor must create a long-term plan on how to effectively use your precious donor hair both now and in the future. This does not mean that hair transplantation will not produce sufficient hair density. By creating 50% density of the original, it visually looks like normal hair density. In order for human eyes to see the difference of hair density, one has to lose more than 50% of hair, or hair texture becomes thinner as affected by male hormones.

With extensive skills and experiences of our medical team, THT Center is offering hair transplantation using DENSE PACKING TECHNIQUE to achieve the 50% density in a single session if the bald area does not exceed 60 square centimeters. For larger area, it is impossible to cover the whole area in just one session, and subsequent procedures will be required. The estimated volume of grafts and the density of transplanted hair for the same bald area may vary up to 50% from clinic to clinic depending on each doctors experience and skill.

People with curly and large hair shaft benefit greatly from increased hair volume; therefore less hair is needed to cover the bald area. On the other hand, individuals who have straight, finely textured hair need not only more hairs, but also possibly additional sessions to achieve similar density. As seen from the before-and-after photos in our patient gallery page, some patients with large area of baldness are satisfied with the outcome after the first session while others who have smaller bald areas choose to have another session or two depending upon individuals expectation. Younger men, whose final balding patterns cannot be determined, may choose to have additional procedures later on in life. In some cases, hair transplantation alone may not be enough to achieve the total coverage because of the patients limited available donor hairs.

Hair transplantation technique does not stop your remaining hair from falling out either. Further hair loss continues to exist right after having hair transplantation done unless it reaches the final balding stage. Taking hair-loss medication regularly after the surgery is necessary and always recommended. It can effectively reduce extra hair loss and additional hair transplant procedures in the future.

Typically, transplanted hairs start to grow 3-4 months following the surgery and most, if not all, of them will grow out after 6-7 months or up to a year for some patients. As a result, you should wait at least a year after the first surgery to allow complete healing and full growth of transplanted hairs before assuming any failure of transplanted hair-growth. For those patients who have had their hair transplants done at THT Center, if any of the transplanted hairs did not grow after a year, we will be gladly replace them with no extra cost on the next session.

Knowing what hair transplant does and its benefits and limitations not only help you decide whether it's right for you but also guide you to set a realistic goal and expectation if you choose to have it done. Setting a realistic goal and expectation mean that you completely understand that hair transplant, if done correctly, gives you a natural-looking-hair appearance that is appropriate for your age now and decades to come. It does not produce a dense-hair appearance that you had years and years ago, which is not appropriate for your age now or in the future. You also understand that the limited supply of your own donor hairs can be harvested only for a certain amount per procedure and your doctor must try to conserve it for the future as well. Once you take all of these factors into consideration and possess a realistic goal and expectation, you will be more likely a good candidate for hair transplant who will enjoy its benefits and outcome.

If you like this webpage, please help us spread the word to anyone who is suffering from hair loss and is searching for the right information about hair transplantation. If a relative or a friend is looking for guidance, knowledge and the true facts about hair transplantation, sharing our homepage may help prevent them from becoming another victim to the bogus hair transplant websites. Please feel free to share our website information on your own social media sites and any of the Hair Transplant forums as well. Thank you in advance for helping us to help others.